Lok Sabha Election 2024: Why Congress may field K Muraleedharan from Thrissur after Padmaja's exit

The Congress will release its final list of candidates today and meanwhile, Kerala has reshuffled the list after Padmaja Venugopal's exit from the party. K Muraleedharan will now reportedly contest from Thrissur.

Aishwarya Nair

First Published Mar 8, 2024, 9:44 AM IST | Last Updated Mar 9, 2024, 8:40 AM IST

New Delhi: In a surprise turn of events, the Indian National Congress has reshuffled its list of candidates for the Lok Sabha elections following the exit of Padmaja Venugopal, the daughter of the late Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Kerala, K Karunakaran. Padmaja joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday in New Delhi, which gave a huge blow to the Congress in Kerala. The final list of Congress candidates is expected to be announced today (Mar 08).

Congress MP K Muraleedharan, her brother, who was initially slated to contest from Vadakara, will reportedly contest in Thrissur constituency, where he will face BJP's star candidate Suresh Gopi. Shafi Parambil will now contest from the Vadakara constituency to face LDF candidate KK Shailaja.

MP and AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal will contest in Alappuzha, according to the party's leadership and KPCC president K Sudhakaran in Kannur.

The Congress party is strategizing to fill the gap created by Padmaja Venugopal's departure by prominently featuring K Muraleedharan, particularly leveraging the political legacy associated with K Karunakaran's platform. Muraleedharan is expected to encounter a substantial challenge in Thrissur, where the BJP's presence is growing, making his candidacy crucial for the Congress's anti-BJP stance in the region. Muraleedharan's previous efforts in countering the BJP in Nemom further strengthened his position within the party. Additionally, the Congress is considering communal dynamics in candidate selection, as seen with Shafi Parambil's candidacy in Vadakara.

Rahul Gandhi and K Sudhakaran will seek re-election in Wayanad and Kannur, respectively. Other sitting Members of Parliament from the party are expected to maintain their existing constituencies. Rahul Gandhi is also expected to contest from his former constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh.

Amidst the recent developments, TN Prathapan, the incumbent MP for Thrissur, has demonstrated his readiness to step aside from the forthcoming electoral race if the Congress deems it appropriate. With the party's decision to nominate K Muraleedharan for the Thrissur seat, Prathapan has voiced his complete backing for whichever candidate the party selects to contest in the constituency.

In the last 11 months, there have been two high-profile defections from the Congress to the BJP, which has shocked the KPCC and cast doubt on the leadership's capacity to pull together ahead of crucial general elections. Anil K. Antony, the son of former Defence Minister and veteran Congress leader A.K. Antony and a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), left the party to join the BJP in April 2023. He is presently contesting for the Lok Sabha seat of Pathanamthitta on the BJP ticket.

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